Even though California and Oregon gained their statehood long before 1870, there was still not much in the way of the civilized world past the Mississippi. Many of the territories were wild and controlled by ambitious men, whether they were miners, outlaws or natives protecting their own lands. In 1870, Ulysses S. Grant is the President.
Timeline
1800 Napoleon conquers Italy, firmly establishes himself as First Consul in France. In the U.S., federal government moves to Washington, D.C. Robert Owen's social reforms in England. William Herschel discovers infrared rays. Alessandro Volta produces electricity.
1803 U.S. negotiates the Louisiana Purchase from France: for $15 million, U.S. doubles its domain, increasing its territory by 827,000 sq mi (2,144,500 sq km), from Mississippi River to Rockies and from Gulf of Mexico to British North America.
1804 Napoleon transforms the Consulate of France into an empire, proclaims himself emperor of France, systematizes French law under Code Napoleon. In the U.S., Alexander Hamilton is mortally wounded in duel with Aaron Burr. Lewis and Clark expedition begins exploration of what is now northwest U.S.
1805 Lord Nelson defeats the French-Spanish fleets in the Battle of Trafalgar. Napoleon is victorious over Austrian and Russian forces at the Battle of Austerlitz.
1807 The streets of London, England are gaslit. Robert Fulton makes first successful steamboat trip on Clermont between New York City and Albany.
1808 French armies occupy Rome and Spain, extending Napoleon's empire. Britain begins aiding Spanish guerrillas against Napoleon in Peninsular War. In the U.S., Congress bars importation of slaves. Beethoven's Fifth and Sixth Symphonies performed.
1810 Excavations begin on the ancient city of Pompeii, Italy. In Great Britain Peter Durand patents the use of tin coated iron cans for the preservation of food and supplied his canned food to the British Navy.
1812 Napoleon's Grand Army invades Russia in June. Forced to retreat in winter, most of Napoleon's 600,000 men are lost. In the U.S., war with Britain declared over freedom of the seas for U.S. vessels (War of 1812). USS Constitution sinks British frigate.
1814 French defeated by allies (Britain, Austria, Russia, Prussia, Sweden, and Portugal) in War of Liberation. Napoleon exiled to Elba, off Italian coast. Bourbon king Louis XVIII takes French throne. George Stephenson builds first practical steam locomotive.
1815 Napoleon returns: “Hundred Days” begin. Napoleon defeated by Wellington at Waterloo, banished again to St. Helena in South Atlantic. Congress of Vienna: victorious allies change the map of Europe. War of 1812 ends with Treaty of Ghent.
1819 Simón Bolívar liberates New Granada (now Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador) as Spain loses hold on South American countries; named president of Colombia.
1820 Missouri admitted as slave state but slavery barred in rest of Louisiana Purchase north of 36°30' N.
1821 Thomas Jennings received a patent for a device that successfully reproduced sounds. Guatemala, Panama, and Santo Domingo proclaim independence from Spain.
1822 The streets of Boston are lit by gaslamps. Greeks proclaim a republic and independence from Turkey. Turks invade Greece. Russia declares war on Turkey (1828). Greece also aided by France and Britain. War ends and Turks recognize Greek independence (1829). Brazil becomes independent of Portugal. Schubert’s Eighth Symphony (“The Unfinished”).
1823 U.S. Monroe Doctrine warns European nations not to interfere in Western Hemisphere.
1824 Mexico becomes a republic, three years after declaring independence from Spain. Bolívar liberates Peru, becomes its president. Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.
1825 First passenger-carrying railroad in England.
1826 Joseph-Nicéphore Niepce takes the world's first photograph.
1827 Pharmacist called John Walker produced 'sulphuretted peroxide strikeables,' later to be reproduced and sold as a Lucifer, commonly known today as a friction sulphur match.
1830 French invade Algeria. Louis Philippe becomes “Citizen King” as revolution forces Charles X to abdicate. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints formed in U.S. by Joseph Smith.
1831 Chloroform was discovered independently by three scientists: Samuel Guthrie, Justus von Liebig, and Eugene Soubeiran. Originally it was used as a treatment for asthma. By 1853 the use of Chloroform as anesthesia was developed and accepted. A cholera pandemic ravages Europe and Asia. Polish revolt against Russia fails. Belgium separates from the Netherlands. In U.S., Nat Turner leads unsuccessful slave rebellion. An elite unit is established within the French Army called The French Foreign Legion.
1833 Slavery abolished in British Empire. Horse Trolley and Hansom Cabs make their way into popular use in large cities. First Atlantic crossing using only steam power (SS Royal William).
1834 Charles Babbage invents “analytical engine,” precursor of computer.
1835 The first “Burglar Proof” safe is produced.
1836 Daniell invents the “Voltaic Cell” – the first reliable electric battery. Corrugated iron and galvanized iron are introduced. Boer farmers start “Great Trek”—Natal, Transvaal, and Orange Free State founded in South Africa. Mexican army besieges Texans in Alamo. Entire garrison, including Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie, wiped out. Texans gain independence from Mexico after winning Battle of San Jacinto.
1837 Separately, both Sir Charles Wheatstone and Samuel Morse invent an electric telegraph. Victoria becomes queen of Great Britain. Mob kills Elijah P. Lovejoy, Illinois abolitionist publisher.
1838 Trans-oceanic travel is now accomplished by way of commercial steamships. The combine harvester is manufactured. A lightweight coach pulled by one horse is developed by Henry Brougham.
1839 The steam driven hammer revolutionizes mining and construction. Charles Goodyear gives the world vulcanized rubber. Kirkpatrick Macmillan creates the push-pedal bicycle. Daguerre's discovery of photography was announced. Grove invents electric battery utilizing hydrogen and oxygen. First Opium War (to 1842) between Britain and China, over importation of drug into China.
1840 Iron ships are produced. A secret collection of persons and homes as a means for American slaves to escape is formed, called “The underground railroad.” Morse patents an electric telegraph using “Morse Code.” Rowland Hill creates the “penny black” postage stamp. Lower and Upper Canada united.
1841 U.S. President Harrison dies (April 4) one month after inauguration; John Tyler becomes first vice president to succeed to presidency.
1842 Crawford W. Long is the first to use Ether as anesthetic.
1844 Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail revolutionize long distance communication with the widespread acceptance and use of “Morse Code.” Morse sends the first telegraph message. Gummed envelopes are introduced. Democratic convention calls for annexation of Texas and acquisition of Oregon (“Fifty-four-forty-or-fight”). Five Chinese ports opened to U.S. ships.
1844 Dublin, Ireland: Professor Charles O’Boylan begins scientific experiments into psychic abilities. These experiments lead him to encounter strange and “occult” phenomenon, including creatures of darkness and malevolence. Later that same year, O’Boylan recruited two other men – Henry Boulton and Richard Arthur (Lord Strange) – to create a secret society devoted to fighting this Enemy. O’Boylan dubbed the organization “SAVE,” or Societas Albae Viae Eternitata (the Eternal Society of the White Way). O’Boylan’s scientific knowledge coupled with Lord Strange’s understandings of the occult and Henry Boulton’s skills at gentlemanly combat formed a perfect circle to study and do battle with the Unknown. 1845 Congress adopts joint resolution for annexation of Texas. Edgar Allan Poe publishes The Raven and Other Poems. The rubber tire is developed by Robert Thomson. The first packaged soap powder.
1846 U.S. declares war on Mexico. California and New Mexico annexed by U.S. Brigham Young leads Mormons to Great Salt Lake. W. T. Morton uses ether as anesthetic. Sewing machine patented by Elias Howe. Frederick Douglass launches abolitionist newspaper The North Star. Failure of potato crop causes famine in Ireland. The arc lamp is invented. Ascanio Sobrero gives the world Nitroglycerine. The world sees the first passenger trains.
1846 Charles O’Boylan takes an expedition of 12 men to Cairo to investigate animated mummies near Memphis Egypt. None return.
1848 Revolt in Paris: Louis Philippe abdicates; Louis Napoleon elected president of French Republic. Revolutions in Vienna, Venice, Berlin, Milan, Rome, and Warsaw. Put down by royal troops in 1848–1849. U.S.-Mexico War ends; Mexico cedes claims to Texas, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada. U.S. treaty with Britain sets Oregon Territory boundary at 49th parallel. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels's Communist Manifesto. Harriet Tubman escapes from slavery and joins the Underground Railroad. Women's Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, N.Y.
1849 Gold is discovered in California starting the “Gold Rush,” in which a great migration of people move west across the United States seeking their fortune.
1850 Henry Clay opens great debate on slavery, warns South against secession. Sparrows were imported to control caterpillars. Coiled bedsprings invented. The Kerosene Gaslight Company markets their fuel around the world. The Pinkerton National Detective Agency founded by Allan Pinkerton.
1850 the small mining town of Colton Corner Colorado is deserted after a cave-in at the Caufield mine.
1851 Herman Melville’s Moby Dick.
1852 South African Republic established. Louis Napoleon proclaims himself Napoleon III (“Second Empire”). Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom's Cabin. Otis invents the safe Elevator. Plaster cast bandages are introduced to the world of medicine. Color photography invented by Niepce. A steam-powered steerable airship was created by Henri Giffard. The first international underwater telegraph cable is laid.
1853 Samuel Colt begins mass producing his famous revolvers. Crimean War begins as Turkey declares war on Russia. Commodore Perry reaches Tokyo. Charles Gabriel Pravaz gives the medical world the hypodermic syringe.
1854 Britain and France join Turkey in war on Russia. In U.S., Kansas-Nebraska Act permits local option on slavery; rioting and bloodshed. Japanese allow American trade. Antislavery men in Michigan form Republican Party. Tennyson's Charge of the Light Brigade. Thoreau's Walden.
1855 Armed clashes in Kansas between pro- and anti-slavery forces. Florence Nightingale nurses wounded in Crimea. Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass. The printing telegraph is invented. Robert Bunsen gives scientific laboratories the Bunsen Burner.
1856 Neanderthal fossils are found in Germany.
1857 Supreme Court, in Dred Scott decision, rules that a slave is not a citizen. Financial crisis in Europe and U.S. Great Mutiny (Sepoy Rebellion) begins in India. India placed under crown rule as a result.
1858 Pro-slavery constitution rejected in Kansas. Abraham Lincoln makes strong antislavery speech in Springfield, Ill.: “This Government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free.” Lincoln-Douglas debates. The first workable trans-Atlantic telegraph cable completed by Cyrus W. Field. The first aerial photographs taken from a balloon.
1859 John Brown raids Harpers Ferry; is captured and hanged. Work begins on Suez Canal. Unification of Italy starts under leadership of Count Cavour, Sardinian premier. Joined by France in war against Austria. Jean-Joseph-Étienne Lenoir builds first practical internal-combustion engine. Edward Fitzgerald's translation of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. Charles Darwin's Origin of Species. J. S. Mill's On Liberty. Edwin Drake builds the first productive oil well in the U.S.
1860 South Carolina secedes from the Union. Christopher Sholes builds the first typewriter in Milwaukee. The Pony Express is formed.
1861 U.S. Civil War begins as attempts at compromise fail. Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas secede; with South Carolina, they form the Confederate States of America, with Jefferson Davis as president. Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina secede and join Confederacy. First Battle of Bull Run (Manassas).(For detailed chronology, see The Civil War.) Congress creates Colorado, Dakota, and Nevada territories; adopts income tax; Lincoln inaugurated. Serfs emancipated in Russia. Pasteur's theory of germs. Independent Kingdom of Italy proclaimed under Sardinian king Victor Emmanuel II. The Otis Company builds the first steam powered elevator.
1862 Several major Civil War battles: Battle of Shiloh, Second Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), Battle of Antietam. Salon des Refusés introduces impressionism. Dr. Richard J. Gatling patents the Gatling Sub-Machine Gun. Paper money is introduced in the U.S.
1863 French capture Mexico City; proclaim Archduke Maximilian of Austria emperor. Battle of Gettysburg. James Plimpton builds the first 4-wheeled roller skate.
1864 Gen. Sherman's Atlanta campaign and “march to the sea.” Roller drive chains are developed and primarily used in bicycles.
1865 Gen. Lee surrenders to Grant at Appomattox; the Civil War is over. Lincoln fatally shot at Ford's Theater by John Wilkes Booth. Vice President Johnson sworn as successor. Booth caught and dies of gunshot wounds; four conspirators are hanged. Louis Pasteur announces his germ theory of disease. Joseph Lister begins antiseptic surgery. Gregor Mendel's Law of Heredity. Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The first oil pipeline is built.
1865 Joseph Lister develops antiseptic Surgery as an effort to prevent sepsis caused by germs in the air.
1866 Alfred Nobel invents dynamite (patented in Britain, 1867). Seven Weeks' War: Austria defeated by Prussia and Italy
1867 Austria-Hungary Dual Monarchy established. French leave Mexico; Maximilian executed. Dominion of Canada established. U.S. buys Alaska from Russia for $7,200,000. South African diamond field discovered. Japan ends 675–year shogun rule. Volume I of Marx's Das Kapital. Strauss's Blue Danube. L.B. Smith creates barbed wire.
1868 Revolution in Spain; Queen Isabella deposed, flees to France. In U.S., Fourteenth Amendment giving civil rights to blacks is ratified. Georgia under military government after legislature expels blacks.
1868 SAVE expedition to the Pirin Mountains (located in what is now southwestern Bulgaria) headed by Dr. Milan Mikovic is credited with the first successful destruction of a vampire after immobilizing it by driving a wooden steak through the creature’s heart. The vampire type is listed as Vampirus Macedonicus by the doctor and had been found in surprising numbers in the Balkans.
1869 First U.S. transcontinental rail route completed. James Fisk and Jay Gould's attempt to control gold market causes Black Friday panic. Suez Canal opens. Mendeleev's periodic table of elements. George Westinghouse develops the air brake.
1870 Franco-Prussian War (to 1871): Napoleon III capitulates at Sedan. Revolt in Paris; Third Republic proclaimed. James Starley builds and sells the Penny-farthing Bicycle (large front wheel). Thomas Edison invents the Stock Market ticker. Elijah McCoy ("The Real McCoy") creates lubricating devices to prevent trains overheating.
Which bring us to the town of Heaven, California.
Travel
As the world of Dark Frontier is the Wild West of the United States in 1870, travel was usually long and difficult. Here is a short chart of the typical travel methods and times of the day.
Walking
3 mph
24 miles/day
@ 8 hours/day
Horse
5 mph
40 miles/day
@ 8 hours/day
Stagecoach
2-7 mph
60 miles/day
Depending on roads
Railroad
10 mph
240 miles/day
Continuous travel
Steamer
10 mph
240 miles/day
Continuous travel
The stagecoach was a much cheaper way to travel than the railroad and was not limited to towns connected by the rails. There were very serious problems that could arise from taking the coach. The drivers would take well known routes. And these routes were also well known to “road agents,” Indians and other things that could delay or intercept the coach.
The Pony Express, at its prime, could cover 80 miles per day by switching horses.
Money
Paper money was not as accepted in the west as it was in the Eastern States. When it was accepted it was generally taken at 10% to 20% less than face value. Coins were always a safer choice. When dealing with Indians they preferred bartering. If they accepted money, they usually accepted it at ¼ the face value.
Below is a chart with the common coins of the era and their value.
Coin
Value
Gold Eagle
$10.00
Half Eagle
$5.00
Quarter Eagle
$2.50
Silver Dollar
$1.00
Half Dollar
50¢
Dime
10¢
Half-Dime
5¢
Copper Cent
1¢
With those denominations in mind, here is a list of common items in the West and their usual fair market prices.
Bath $1 Burial $5 Doctor visit Office $3 House call $5 Photo $10 Room (per day) Boarding house (w/meals) $3 Low-class hotel $2 High-class hotel $10 Shave and a haircut 25¢ Telegram (per word) 5¢
And since this is the Dark Frontier of the Wild West, here is a price guide for Shootin’ Irons.
Arrow $2 for 20 Pistol (.22-.38) $2 for 50 Pistol (.40-.50) $3 for 50 Rifle (.38-.52) $4 for 50 Rifle (.56+) $5 for 50 Powder & Shot $1 for 20 Percussion Caps 50¢ for 60 Shotgun shells $2 for 20
Telegraph Messages arrive same day and were often garbled, misinterpreted or wrong.
US Mail The mail coaches were often robbed by bandits.
Pony Express Cost much more and was far more reliable.
Military
Both the Union and the Confederate Armies were essentially structured the same way.
Non-Commissioned Officers
Private Corporal Sergeant First Sergeant Ordinance Sergeant Quartermaster Sergeant Sergeant Major
Commissioned Officers
Second Lieutenant First Lieutenant Captain Major Lieutenant Colonel Colonel Brigadier General Major General Lieutenant General General Commander-In-Chief
Company = 95 Privates and Non-Coms under the command of 1 Captain Regiment = 10 Companies, commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel. Regiments were usually designated A – J and by their state name. Ex: 18th Virginia Infantry Regiment. Brigade = 3 to 4 Regiments under the command of a Brigadier General. Union Brigades were designated by their number within the Division (1st, 2nd, etc). Confederate Brigades were designated by their commander’s name (Ex: Garnett’s Brigade). Division = 3 to 4 Brigades under the command of a Major General. Union designated by number and Confederate by commander’s surname. Corps = 3 to 4 Divisions under the command of a Lieutenant General. Union designated by number and Confederate by commander’s surname. Army = 3 to 4 Corps under the command of a General. Union Armies were named after Rivers (ex: the Army of the Potomac) and Confederate Armies after the state they were based in (ex: the Army of Northern Virginia).
Law and Lawmen
Town Marshall – Nearly all large towns and some of the small towns had a Town Marshall. The Marshall was elected by the people to keep the peace in the community. Occasionally the Town Marshall was appointed by the Mayor or the Town Council. The Town Marshall and his Deputies had Jurisdiction within the town limits. Most County Courts upheld the Town Marshall’s right to make chase of criminals a short distance outside their town.
Sheriff – The County Sheriff and his Deputies were almost always elected by the people.
US Marshalls - The U.S. Marshalls always had the final say in matters of law enforcement. They can hire Deputy Marshalls, authorize Posses and cross state lines or territory lines. They have the authority to call on County Sheriffs and Town Marshalls to assist them. The U.S. Marshalls were usually based in the largest city in the area. Some had district offices that they would work from. Often times they were called away to the crime area. They were a breed that was capable of working alone.
Judges – Each County had it’s own Judge. The State had a Superior Court for appeals or state level matters. “Circuit” Judges would travel throughout the small towns within a territory or county to hear cases. 2 – 10 weeks was considered fast for a fair and “speedy” trial. Those Judges that were quick to condemn and hang the criminals brought about the term “Hanging Judges.”
Life in the Dark Frontier
Map of United States
1870
Even though California and Oregon gained their statehood long before 1870, there was still not much in the way of the civilized world past the Mississippi. Many of the territories were wild and controlled by ambitious men, whether they were miners, outlaws or natives protecting their own lands. In 1870, Ulysses S. Grant is the President.
Timeline
1800 Napoleon conquers Italy, firmly establishes himself as First Consul in France. In the U.S., federal government moves to Washington, D.C. Robert Owen's social reforms in England. William Herschel discovers infrared rays. Alessandro Volta produces electricity.1803 U.S. negotiates the Louisiana Purchase from France: for $15 million, U.S. doubles its domain, increasing its territory by 827,000 sq mi (2,144,500 sq km), from Mississippi River to Rockies and from Gulf of Mexico to British North America.
1804 Napoleon transforms the Consulate of France into an empire, proclaims himself emperor of France, systematizes French law under Code Napoleon. In the U.S., Alexander Hamilton is mortally wounded in duel with Aaron Burr. Lewis and Clark expedition begins exploration of what is now northwest U.S.
1805 Lord Nelson defeats the French-Spanish fleets in the Battle of Trafalgar. Napoleon is victorious over Austrian and Russian forces at the Battle of Austerlitz.
1807 The streets of London, England are gaslit. Robert Fulton makes first successful steamboat trip on Clermont between New York City and Albany.
1808 French armies occupy Rome and Spain, extending Napoleon's empire. Britain begins aiding Spanish guerrillas against Napoleon in Peninsular War. In the U.S., Congress bars importation of slaves. Beethoven's Fifth and Sixth Symphonies performed.
1810 Excavations begin on the ancient city of Pompeii, Italy. In Great Britain Peter Durand patents the use of tin coated iron cans for the preservation of food and supplied his canned food to the British Navy.
1812 Napoleon's Grand Army invades Russia in June. Forced to retreat in winter, most of Napoleon's 600,000 men are lost. In the U.S., war with Britain declared over freedom of the seas for U.S. vessels (War of 1812). USS Constitution sinks British frigate.
1814 French defeated by allies (Britain, Austria, Russia, Prussia, Sweden, and Portugal) in War of Liberation. Napoleon exiled to Elba, off Italian coast. Bourbon king Louis XVIII takes French throne. George Stephenson builds first practical steam locomotive.
1815 Napoleon returns: “Hundred Days” begin. Napoleon defeated by Wellington at Waterloo, banished again to St. Helena in South Atlantic. Congress of Vienna: victorious allies change the map of Europe. War of 1812 ends with Treaty of Ghent.
1819 Simón Bolívar liberates New Granada (now Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador) as Spain loses hold on South American countries; named president of Colombia.
1820 Missouri admitted as slave state but slavery barred in rest of Louisiana Purchase north of 36°30' N.
1821 Thomas Jennings received a patent for a device that successfully reproduced sounds. Guatemala, Panama, and Santo Domingo proclaim independence from Spain.
1822 The streets of Boston are lit by gaslamps. Greeks proclaim a republic and independence from Turkey. Turks invade Greece. Russia declares war on Turkey (1828). Greece also aided by France and Britain. War ends and Turks recognize Greek independence (1829). Brazil becomes independent of Portugal. Schubert’s Eighth Symphony (“The Unfinished”).
1823 U.S. Monroe Doctrine warns European nations not to interfere in Western Hemisphere.
1824 Mexico becomes a republic, three years after declaring independence from Spain. Bolívar liberates Peru, becomes its president. Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.
1825 First passenger-carrying railroad in England.
1826 Joseph-Nicéphore Niepce takes the world's first photograph.
1827 Pharmacist called John Walker produced 'sulphuretted peroxide strikeables,' later to be reproduced and sold as a Lucifer, commonly known today as a friction sulphur match.
1830 French invade Algeria. Louis Philippe becomes “Citizen King” as revolution forces Charles X to abdicate. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints formed in U.S. by Joseph Smith.
1831 Chloroform was discovered independently by three scientists: Samuel Guthrie, Justus von Liebig, and Eugene Soubeiran. Originally it was used as a treatment for asthma. By 1853 the use of Chloroform as anesthesia was developed and accepted. A cholera pandemic ravages Europe and Asia. Polish revolt against Russia fails. Belgium separates from the Netherlands. In U.S., Nat Turner leads unsuccessful slave rebellion. An elite unit is established within the French Army called The French Foreign Legion.
1833 Slavery abolished in British Empire. Horse Trolley and Hansom Cabs make their way into popular use in large cities. First Atlantic crossing using only steam power (SS Royal William).
1834 Charles Babbage invents “analytical engine,” precursor of computer.
1835 The first “Burglar Proof” safe is produced.
1836 Daniell invents the “Voltaic Cell” – the first reliable electric battery. Corrugated iron and galvanized iron are introduced. Boer farmers start “Great Trek”—Natal, Transvaal, and Orange Free State founded in South Africa. Mexican army besieges Texans in Alamo. Entire garrison, including Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie, wiped out. Texans gain independence from Mexico after winning Battle of San Jacinto.
1837 Separately, both Sir Charles Wheatstone and Samuel Morse invent an electric telegraph. Victoria becomes queen of Great Britain. Mob kills Elijah P. Lovejoy, Illinois abolitionist publisher.
1838 Trans-oceanic travel is now accomplished by way of commercial steamships. The combine harvester is manufactured. A lightweight coach pulled by one horse is developed by Henry Brougham.
1839 The steam driven hammer revolutionizes mining and construction. Charles Goodyear gives the world vulcanized rubber. Kirkpatrick Macmillan creates the push-pedal bicycle. Daguerre's discovery of photography was announced. Grove invents electric battery utilizing hydrogen and oxygen. First Opium War (to 1842) between Britain and China, over importation of drug into China.
1840 Iron ships are produced. A secret collection of persons and homes as a means for American slaves to escape is formed, called “The underground railroad.” Morse patents an electric telegraph using “Morse Code.” Rowland Hill creates the “penny black” postage stamp. Lower and Upper Canada united.
1841 U.S. President Harrison dies (April 4) one month after inauguration; John Tyler becomes first vice president to succeed to presidency.
1842 Crawford W. Long is the first to use Ether as anesthetic.
1844 Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail revolutionize long distance communication with the widespread acceptance and use of “Morse Code.” Morse sends the first telegraph message. Gummed envelopes are introduced. Democratic convention calls for annexation of Texas and acquisition of Oregon (“Fifty-four-forty-or-fight”). Five Chinese ports opened to U.S. ships.
1844 Dublin, Ireland: Professor Charles O’Boylan begins scientific experiments into psychic abilities. These experiments lead him to encounter strange and “occult” phenomenon, including creatures of darkness and malevolence. Later that same year, O’Boylan recruited two other men – Henry Boulton and Richard Arthur (Lord Strange) – to create a secret society devoted to fighting this Enemy. O’Boylan dubbed the organization “SAVE,” or Societas Albae Viae Eternitata (the Eternal Society of the White Way). O’Boylan’s scientific knowledge coupled with Lord Strange’s understandings of the occult and Henry Boulton’s skills at gentlemanly combat formed a perfect circle to study and do battle with the Unknown.
1845 Congress adopts joint resolution for annexation of Texas. Edgar Allan Poe publishes The Raven and Other Poems. The rubber tire is developed by Robert Thomson. The first packaged soap powder.
1846 U.S. declares war on Mexico. California and New Mexico annexed by U.S. Brigham Young leads Mormons to Great Salt Lake. W. T. Morton uses ether as anesthetic. Sewing machine patented by Elias Howe. Frederick Douglass launches abolitionist newspaper The North Star. Failure of potato crop causes famine in Ireland. The arc lamp is invented. Ascanio Sobrero gives the world Nitroglycerine. The world sees the first passenger trains.
1846 Charles O’Boylan takes an expedition of 12 men to Cairo to investigate animated mummies near Memphis Egypt. None return.
1848 Revolt in Paris: Louis Philippe abdicates; Louis Napoleon elected president of French Republic. Revolutions in Vienna, Venice, Berlin, Milan, Rome, and Warsaw. Put down by royal troops in 1848–1849. U.S.-Mexico War ends; Mexico cedes claims to Texas, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada. U.S. treaty with Britain sets Oregon Territory boundary at 49th parallel. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels's Communist Manifesto. Harriet Tubman escapes from slavery and joins the Underground Railroad. Women's Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, N.Y.
1849 Gold is discovered in California starting the “Gold Rush,” in which a great migration of people move west across the United States seeking their fortune.
1850 Henry Clay opens great debate on slavery, warns South against secession. Sparrows were imported to control caterpillars. Coiled bedsprings invented. The Kerosene Gaslight Company markets their fuel around the world. The Pinkerton National Detective Agency founded by Allan Pinkerton.
1850 the small mining town of Colton Corner Colorado is deserted after a cave-in at the Caufield mine.
1851 Herman Melville’s Moby Dick.
1852 South African Republic established. Louis Napoleon proclaims himself Napoleon III (“Second Empire”). Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom's Cabin. Otis invents the safe Elevator. Plaster cast bandages are introduced to the world of medicine. Color photography invented by Niepce. A steam-powered steerable airship was created by Henri Giffard. The first international underwater telegraph cable is laid.
1853 Samuel Colt begins mass producing his famous revolvers. Crimean War begins as Turkey declares war on Russia. Commodore Perry reaches Tokyo. Charles Gabriel Pravaz gives the medical world the hypodermic syringe.
1854 Britain and France join Turkey in war on Russia. In U.S., Kansas-Nebraska Act permits local option on slavery; rioting and bloodshed. Japanese allow American trade. Antislavery men in Michigan form Republican Party. Tennyson's Charge of the Light Brigade. Thoreau's Walden.
1855 Armed clashes in Kansas between pro- and anti-slavery forces. Florence Nightingale nurses wounded in Crimea. Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass. The printing telegraph is invented. Robert Bunsen gives scientific laboratories the Bunsen Burner.
1856 Neanderthal fossils are found in Germany.
1857 Supreme Court, in Dred Scott decision, rules that a slave is not a citizen. Financial crisis in Europe and U.S. Great Mutiny (Sepoy Rebellion) begins in India. India placed under crown rule as a result.
1858 Pro-slavery constitution rejected in Kansas. Abraham Lincoln makes strong antislavery speech in Springfield, Ill.: “This Government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free.” Lincoln-Douglas debates. The first workable trans-Atlantic telegraph cable completed by Cyrus W. Field. The first aerial photographs taken from a balloon.
1859 John Brown raids Harpers Ferry; is captured and hanged. Work begins on Suez Canal. Unification of Italy starts under leadership of Count Cavour, Sardinian premier. Joined by France in war against Austria. Jean-Joseph-Étienne Lenoir builds first practical internal-combustion engine. Edward Fitzgerald's translation of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. Charles Darwin's Origin of Species. J. S. Mill's On Liberty. Edwin Drake builds the first productive oil well in the U.S.
1860 South Carolina secedes from the Union. Christopher Sholes builds the first typewriter in Milwaukee. The Pony Express is formed.
1861 U.S. Civil War begins as attempts at compromise fail. Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas secede; with South Carolina, they form the Confederate States of America, with Jefferson Davis as president. Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina secede and join Confederacy. First Battle of Bull Run (Manassas).(For detailed chronology, see The Civil War.) Congress creates Colorado, Dakota, and Nevada territories; adopts income tax; Lincoln inaugurated. Serfs emancipated in Russia. Pasteur's theory of germs. Independent Kingdom of Italy proclaimed under Sardinian king Victor Emmanuel II. The Otis Company builds the first steam powered elevator.
1862 Several major Civil War battles: Battle of Shiloh, Second Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), Battle of Antietam. Salon des Refusés introduces impressionism. Dr. Richard J. Gatling patents the Gatling Sub-Machine Gun. Paper money is introduced in the U.S.
1863 French capture Mexico City; proclaim Archduke Maximilian of Austria emperor. Battle of Gettysburg. James Plimpton builds the first 4-wheeled roller skate.
1864 Gen. Sherman's Atlanta campaign and “march to the sea.” Roller drive chains are developed and primarily used in bicycles.
1865 Gen. Lee surrenders to Grant at Appomattox; the Civil War is over. Lincoln fatally shot at Ford's Theater by John Wilkes Booth. Vice President Johnson sworn as successor. Booth caught and dies of gunshot wounds; four conspirators are hanged. Louis Pasteur announces his germ theory of disease. Joseph Lister begins antiseptic surgery. Gregor Mendel's Law of Heredity. Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The first oil pipeline is built.
1865 Joseph Lister develops antiseptic Surgery as an effort to prevent sepsis caused by germs in the air.
1866 Alfred Nobel invents dynamite (patented in Britain, 1867). Seven Weeks' War: Austria defeated by Prussia and Italy
1867 Austria-Hungary Dual Monarchy established. French leave Mexico; Maximilian executed. Dominion of Canada established. U.S. buys Alaska from Russia for $7,200,000. South African diamond field discovered. Japan ends 675–year shogun rule. Volume I of Marx's Das Kapital. Strauss's Blue Danube. L.B. Smith creates barbed wire.
1868 Revolution in Spain; Queen Isabella deposed, flees to France. In U.S., Fourteenth Amendment giving civil rights to blacks is ratified. Georgia under military government after legislature expels blacks.
1868 SAVE expedition to the Pirin Mountains (located in what is now southwestern Bulgaria) headed by Dr. Milan Mikovic is credited with the first successful destruction of a vampire after immobilizing it by driving a wooden steak through the creature’s heart. The vampire type is listed as Vampirus Macedonicus by the doctor and had been found in surprising numbers in the Balkans.
1869 First U.S. transcontinental rail route completed. James Fisk and Jay Gould's attempt to control gold market causes Black Friday panic. Suez Canal opens. Mendeleev's periodic table of elements. George Westinghouse develops the air brake.
1870 Franco-Prussian War (to 1871): Napoleon III capitulates at Sedan. Revolt in Paris; Third Republic proclaimed. James Starley builds and sells the Penny-farthing Bicycle (large front wheel). Thomas Edison invents the Stock Market ticker. Elijah McCoy ("The Real McCoy") creates lubricating devices to prevent trains overheating.
Which bring us to the town of Heaven, California.
Travel
As the world of Dark Frontier is the Wild West of the United States in 1870, travel was usually long and difficult. Here is a short chart of the typical travel methods and times of the day.
The stagecoach was a much cheaper way to travel than the railroad and was not limited to towns connected by the rails. There were very serious problems that could arise from taking the coach. The drivers would take well known routes. And these routes were also well known to “road agents,” Indians and other things that could delay or intercept the coach.
The Pony Express, at its prime, could cover 80 miles per day by switching horses.
Money
Paper money was not as accepted in the west as it was in the Eastern States. When it was accepted it was generally taken at 10% to 20% less than face value. Coins were always a safer choice. When dealing with Indians they preferred bartering. If they accepted money, they usually accepted it at ¼ the face value.
Below is a chart with the common coins of the era and their value.
With those denominations in mind, here is a list of common items in the West and their usual fair market prices.
Clothing
Boots $8Chaps $4
Duster $10
Longjohns $2
Shirt/blouse, dress $3
Shirt/blouse, work $1
Silk stockings $1
Shoes $2
Suit/fancy dress $15
Trousers/skirt $2
Winter coat $15
Explosives
Blasting Cap $1Dynamite (per stick) $3
Fuse (per foot) 5¢
Nitro (per pint) $2.50
Food & Drink
Bacon (per pound) 15¢Coffee (per pound) 25¢
Restaurant (good)
Breakfast 50¢
Lunch 25¢
Dinner $1
Restaurant (cheap)
Any meal 25¢
Trail rations (per day) 50¢
General Equipment
Axe $2Backpack $2
Barbed wire (per yard) 5¢
Bedroll $4
Camera $3
Canteen $1
Cigar 5¢
Detonator, plunger $10
Detonation wire (50’) $2.50
Drill $2
File 25¢
Guitar $8
Hammer 50¢
Handcuffs $3.50
Harmonica 50¢
Hatchet $1
Iron skillet 50¢
Lantern $2.50
Lantern oil (per gallon) 10¢
Matches (box of 100) 50¢
Mess kit $2
Photographic kit $1
Pick $2
Pipe $2
Playing cards 25¢
Rope (50’) $5
Shovel $1.50
Spectacles $5
Tobacco, chewing (tin) 50¢
Tobacco, smoking (pouch) 50¢
Watch, standard $2.50
Watch, gold $10
Gun Accessories
Gun belt $2Holster $3
Quick-Draw holster $11
Rifle scabbard $3
Shotgun thong 25¢
Speed-load cylinder $3
Hats
Bonnet $2Derby $1.50
Fedora $3
Sombrero $3.50
Stetson $5
Liquor
Beer (glass) 5¢Cheap stuff
Shot 10¢
Bottle $2
Good Stuff
Shot 25¢
Bottle $5
Transportation
Buckboard $75Buggy/cab $200
Conestoga wagon $200
Horse $150
Mule $50
Riverboat (per mile) 5¢
Saddle $25
Saddlebags $5
Stagecoach (per mile) 10¢
Train ticket (per mile) 5¢
Services
Bath $1Burial $5
Doctor visit
Office $3
House call $5
Photo $10
Room (per day)
Boarding house (w/meals) $3
Low-class hotel $2
High-class hotel $10
Shave and a haircut 25¢
Telegram (per word) 5¢
And since this is the Dark Frontier of the Wild West, here is a price guide for Shootin’ Irons.
Weapons / Shots / Caliber / Cost
Automatics
Gatling Gun / 45 / .36 / $1,500Gatling Pistol / 12 / .44 / $800
Carbines
Sharps ’55 / 1 / .57 C&B / $18Spencer / 7 / .56 / $15
Derringers & Pepperboxes
Derringer / 2 / .44 / $8English 1840 Model / 8 / .36 C&B / $5
Rupertus Pepperbox / 8 / .22 / $6
Wesson Dagger-Pistol / 2 / .41 / $6
Pistols, Single-Action
Colt Army / 6 / .44 / $12Colt Bluntline Special / 6 / .45 / $15
Colt Dragoon / 6 / .44 / $11
Colt Navy / 6 / .36 / $10
Colt Peacemaker / 6 / .45 / $15
LeMat Grapeshot Pistol / 9 / .40 / $8
Pistols, Double-Action
Colt Frontier / 6 / .32-30 / $8Colt Lightning / 6 / .38 / $13
Colt Peacemaker / 6 / .45 / $14
Colt Thunderer / 6 / .41 / $15
Starr Revolver / 6 / .44 C&B / $9
Rifles
Bullard Express / 11 / .50 / $30Colt-Patterson Model ’36 / 7 / .69 C&B / $25
Colt Revolving Rifle / 5 / .56 C&B / $24
Enfield Musket / 1 / .58 C&B muzzle / $25
Sharp’s Big 50 / 1 / .50 / $20
Springfield / 1 / .58 C&B muzzle / $8
Shotguns
Colt Revolving Shotgun / 5 / 12-gauge / $45Double barrel / 2 / 12-gauge / $35
Scattergun / 2 / 12-gauge / $35
Single barrel / 1 / 12-gauge / $25
Winchester Lever-Action / 4 / 12-gauge / $35
Ammunition
Arrow $2 for 20Pistol (.22-.38) $2 for 50
Pistol (.40-.50) $3 for 50
Rifle (.38-.52) $4 for 50
Rifle (.56+) $5 for 50
Powder & Shot $1 for 20
Percussion Caps 50¢ for 60
Shotgun shells $2 for 20
Other Weapons
Axe $2Bow $3
Club -
Dynamite $3 per stick
Hatchet $1
Knife $2
Knife, Bowie $4
Knife, throwing $3
Rapier $10
Saber $15
Spear $3
Tomahawk $3
Communication
Telegraph Messages arrive same day and were often garbled, misinterpreted or wrong.US Mail The mail coaches were often robbed by bandits.
Pony Express Cost much more and was far more reliable.
Military
Both the Union and the Confederate Armies were essentially structured the same way.Non-Commissioned Officers
PrivateCorporal
Sergeant
First Sergeant
Ordinance Sergeant
Quartermaster Sergeant
Sergeant Major
Commissioned Officers
Second LieutenantFirst Lieutenant
Captain
Major
Lieutenant Colonel
Colonel
Brigadier General
Major General
Lieutenant General
General
Commander-In-Chief
Company = 95 Privates and Non-Coms under the command of 1 Captain
Regiment = 10 Companies, commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel. Regiments were usually designated A – J and by their state name. Ex: 18th Virginia Infantry Regiment.
Brigade = 3 to 4 Regiments under the command of a Brigadier General. Union Brigades were designated by their number within the Division (1st, 2nd, etc). Confederate Brigades were designated by their commander’s name (Ex: Garnett’s Brigade).
Division = 3 to 4 Brigades under the command of a Major General. Union designated by number and Confederate by commander’s surname.
Corps = 3 to 4 Divisions under the command of a Lieutenant General. Union designated by number and Confederate by commander’s surname.
Army = 3 to 4 Corps under the command of a General. Union Armies were named after Rivers (ex: the Army of the Potomac) and Confederate Armies after the state they were based in (ex: the Army of Northern Virginia).
Law and Lawmen
Town Marshall – Nearly all large towns and some of the small towns had a Town Marshall. The Marshall was elected by the people to keep the peace in the community. Occasionally the Town Marshall was appointed by the Mayor or the Town Council. The Town Marshall and his Deputies had Jurisdiction within the town limits. Most County Courts upheld the Town Marshall’s right to make chase of criminals a short distance outside their town.
Sheriff – The County Sheriff and his Deputies were almost always elected by the people.
US Marshalls - The U.S. Marshalls always had the final say in matters of law enforcement. They can hire Deputy Marshalls, authorize Posses and cross state lines or territory lines. They have the authority to call on County Sheriffs and Town Marshalls to assist them. The U.S. Marshalls were usually based in the largest city in the area. Some had district offices that they would work from. Often times they were called away to the crime area. They were a breed that was capable of working alone.
Judges – Each County had it’s own Judge. The State had a Superior Court for appeals or state level matters. “Circuit” Judges would travel throughout the small towns within a territory or county to hear cases. 2 – 10 weeks was considered fast for a fair and “speedy” trial. Those Judges that were quick to condemn and hang the criminals brought about the term “Hanging Judges.”
Common Jail Time / Fines for Offenses